A Legend in the Making
by Olivier Antoine
Summary: In an alternate universe, one in which Kakarrot remains as he is, what will become of his new home? What will become of the future? Strong Kid Goku, Kakarrot/What if Goku had not hit his head is implemented into this story
1. An Anecdote to an Arrival

Age 737; Planet Vegeta

Somewhere in the northern galaxy, there is a planet upon hundreds by the name of Vegeta. The beings who inhabit said planet are known as the Saiyans, a warrior race known for pillaging and conquering planets, destroying whole civilizations, and many other contemptible acts. Saiyans are distinguished by their rough facial features, most of which look primal and feral, as though they are ready to pounce at any given moment. Second is their notable strength and destructive tendencies, as stated before, and most importantly, the furry appendage in which the epitome of their power dwells within; their tails. While Saiyans may seem to many as the most terrifying race possible, striking fear in the hearts of many, there is a singular being who alone is even more fearsome and far more powerful than said savages; the tyrant for whom the Saiyans are made to work under, Lord Frieza.

Lord Frieza, also known as the emperor of the universe, was a cold, no pun intended, disgraceful, and seemingly omnipotent being. He is the only being who was able to take advantage of the Saiyans' incompetence, showing no fear, as their power was minuscule, in comparison to his. Planet Vegeta was but another pebble in his rock collection of planets. As head of the Planetary Trade Organization, which is responsible for the same line of work the Saiyans are well known for, he not only saw what he referred to as monkeys as tools for his rise to the universal throne but a valuable asset as well; in numbers and in strength.

Frieza was but what you would have expected for a tyrant of the universe; a monster, to say the least. His skin was scaly and pink, giving him a demonic look. His face was a light shade of lavender, his eyes containing tiny, calculating, onyx orbs within them. His lips, along with his scaly fingertips were black, as were the tips of his three-toed, reptilian feet, sort of resembling claws. His face looked as though it was covered with a white helmet, guarding his cheeks and forehead, two rather long, spiky horns protruding from either side and a violet crest in the center. He wore a custom, purple, PTO armor with wide, brown shoulder pads, white leg guards with brown padding in the center and arm guards to match, and a red-glass device on his left eye.

It seems as though this universe is far from regulated, as we have a tyrannical, narcissistic ruler who controls one of the most powerful races, but one man shall change all of that in a couple of decades, restoring the former peace.

A man with spiky black hair in a white lab coat began walking around in the dark, glaring at the various Saiyan cubs in their mechanized cribs, as the turquoise fluid of the various incubators and healing tanks provided an ambient light in the room.

He pressed a red button on the side of his technological eyepiece, which consisted of green glass and a white base for the main control functions. "The scouter is reading 50... low-class..." the man grunted as an audible blip. He scribbled down the numbers and class listings of the various Saiyan infants on his clipboard. It was when he reached a particular child that his eyebrows visibly furrowed, even with the dim lighting, as he read aloud the combat power.

"2?" It seemed like more of a question, rather than an indicative statement. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying as hard as he could not display any more anger. Sighing, he read the name of the infant as well as its parents. "Kakarot; that low-class Gine's child, eh? Tch. Sure is a shame for such a man like Bardock to have two excuses for warriors as sons."

The infant in question had spiky, palm tree like hair, just as his father did, a soft face, more akin to his mother, and was currently fussing in his sleep as the less-than-whispered words of the man in front of him.

As Kakarot moaned in annoyance, still rustling in his sleep, the doctor scoffed and began to trudge away, his footsteps further annoying the nearly awake Kakarot.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

The doctor only took three more footsteps before the infant Kakarot woke up entirely, rubbing at his eyes in slight annoyance with a frown on his face. Even in the dark, the doctor could feel the uneasiness as the cub's eyes settled on to him.

He stared back in the direction of the cub, but the tension in the air was thick, even Kakarot could tell, and so, he began to wail at the top of his lungs, startling the older Saiyan as he balled his tiny fists and flailed around.

Covering his ears in annoyance, he quickly made his way over to the crying child, thinking of ways to calm the cub down. He was distracted, however, by the beep of the scouter on his face.

"Huh? Is it the brat?" he inquired, as the numbers on his Scouter began to rise.

"20...?" he said as he added an extra "0" onto the clipboard until "...still pathetic-huh? 2,000?! 2,500?! This thing must be malfunctioning!" the Saiyan shouted, forcefully tapping the red button on the side of the device. His frantic behavior, however, further annoyed the already upset Kakarot. The numbers continued to fluctuate, and so he was unable to keep track before he was pushed back by an invisible blast of air from the young Kakarot's unnatural spike in _ki_, causing him to slam into the hospital wall and hit his head, knocking him unconscious.

Kakarot's tears began to dry up as he began crying less and less on account of the amount of _ki_ exertion that had just occurred in him. Wiping his tears with his tiny hands, he began to doze off, as he fell back into a deep sleep.

"I-It's, over.. nine-thousand..." was all the older Saiyan was able to mutter in his unconscious state.

A gruff call of the name "Gine," snapped the spiky-haired beauty out of her stupor as she struggled to comprehend what her mate, Bardock, leader of his Planet Elite Force platoon, was attempting to tell her.

Bardock assumed the demeanor of an exemplary Saiyan; ruthless, cold-hearted, and powerful. The only thing he had that most Saiyans lacked was his sense of realization and seeing things for what they were, and this came especially easy to him as he was cursed with the ability to see his future and untimely death.

The Saiyan had the face of a man who had seen ages too much in battle, as he had. He had a long, thick, and deep "t" shaped scar donning his left cheek, cold, dark eyes, distinct, spiky, and unruly palm tree like hair, and a seemingly permanent scowl. He wore a red bandanna around his head, soaked with the blood of his fallen comrades, green battle armor with navy blue chest plates and yellow shoulder straps, red armbands with leg guards to match and to complete the fit, black combat pants, and boots with yellow tips.

His mate was quite the opposite, being a kind-hearted Saiyan with a soft, genial face, endearing black eyes, spiky hair with dangling bangs, and practically the same battle armor as Bardock but around the waist was a skirt like a guard.

What her mate told her was so convoluted and incomprehensible that it was far too much to take in, coming as a rush to her, like so;

"We need to get Kakarot off-world immediately; Frieza is planning on exterminating our race with a ball of mass destruction, and everyone refuses to listen to me; they think I'm going delusional. We need to execute this plan quickly, he's essential to the redemption of our race, no matter how weak he is...

Gine,

Gine, are you even listening to me?" said Bardock, growling with impatience. The Saiyan had already attempted to make known the danger the planet was into his comrades, and even the King, Vegeta, but after being literally and figuratively pushed away, he reached out to the one person he could trust.

Once Gine snapped back to reality, she questioned as to why he would even believe that the "loyal" Lord Frieza would commit such an act of treason.

"Out of fear; he fears our power, and the legend of the Super Saiyan; one which Kakarot shall assume the role of, and become the avenger of our race," Bardock explained.

Gine looked to him with a look of incredulity, before remembered that this was the man she put most, if not all of her trust in; one she had had two children with, and for her not to be down with a plan to save her child would go against everything that she paired herself up with him for. She took in a deep breath, looking down, before staring right back up at her mate and giving him a nod of approval.

"All right, let's do this. But what's the plan?" Bardock smirked.

"I was thinking we could hijack a spare space pod and use that to send him to planet suitable for him; as he is now, his measly power level won't get him far, so I presume he will be able to learn how to harness some of the dormant potentials he will need on a planet that matches him," Bardock said.

Gine found it hard to follow, especially due to the fact that Saiyans were normally warriors first, and tacticians last, but Bardock was far from the norm. She gave him a warm smile and nodded in affirmation, as the two took flight in the direction of the nursery which held their son, Kakarot.

Once locating the toddler amongst several other infants, who was still and resting in an incubator, Gine pushed the release button on the device, causing all of the rejuvenation fluids to drain. She genially removed him from the device and ran out of the hospital with the quickness to a jittery Bardock, who was standing outside with the secured pod. He called out for her to hurry, and she picked up the pace.

Gine set the young Kakarot into the pod, the plethora of movement startling the child into a half-awake state. He looked at his parents with confused eyes and tilted his head in confusion, clearly oblivious to the situation at hand. Gine shed a tear at the innocence that his whole demeanor held, wrapped him in a tight embrace and kissing him on the forehead, causing the young Kakarot to giggle, and Bardock to grimace with distaste, mostly at the reasoning for this whole scenario.

"Kakarot, just know that w-we love you and we're... we're doing the best we can to make sure you're s-safe; just don't forget us, okay?" she sputtered out, her voice continuing to break. Bardock put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and moved towards Kakarot, who started fussing and groping the air in his pod. Bardock unwrapped his headband, gripping it tightly as a flow of memories coursed through him, and tied it around his son's head. The baby simply grunted and looked into his father's eyes with confusion before giggling. This made Bardock's heart clench in sadness, but mostly anger; anger at the thought that this wouldn't be happening if their ruler wasn't a _fucking_ _coward_.

As close to emotional as a Saiyan could get, "Fitting for a warrior," was all the older Saiyan could manage before finally saying, "and Kakarot, survive..." He then pressed a button within the pod, causing the door to whir closed. The baby Kakarot naively placed his small hand on the glass of the pod, an action which Bardock and Gine returned before the ship stated aloud its coordinates and slowly rose up, taking flight.

[Earth―Planet 4032-Green-277]

Bardock and Gine watched in sadness, Bardock with slight anger, as their son's pod rose into the atmosphere, before blasting off in a flash of white light. Gine put her head into her hands and began sobbing. Bardock placed a rough, yet caring hand on his mate's shoulder, and began stating his plan of single-handed rebellion to her. She gave him a look as to say 'Are you insane,' but knew it would be fruitless to A.) stop him, and B.), for Bardock to do much, but she decided to let him go ahead, as she knew his pride was large enough to strengthen his resolve and thus make his mood unshiftable.

Bardock grit his teeth as he flew up with great speed into the atmosphere, breaking the sound barrier in the process with the amount of _ki _that was released. He bobbed, weaved, and blasted his way through the various PTO soldiers that made an attempt to stop him in his endeavor to reach the tyrant Frieza, the latter sat with a smug look in his levitating chair, his two most loyal guards at his sides; Zarbon and Dodoria. Frieza pointed a scaly finger in the air as a small ball resembling a Supernova began to form. The attack continued to expand until it became a third of the size of planet Vegeta. He cackled with mirth, yelling, "Take this, you damn monkeys!" before pointing his finger in the direction of Vegeta and releasing the massive Supernova in the direction of the unsuspecting planet.

Bardock charged an energy wave in the palm of his hand, crackling with energy, exerting as much of his_ ki_ into the attack until it formed in his hand triple the size of normal. It was still a dwarf to Frieza's ki, which causing Bardock to growl, but not to falter. No matter, he still made the attempt to release it in the direction of the massive ball of destruction, but his rage turned to astonishment seeing his most powerful attack be engulfed by the larger mass of ki.

With a solemn look, he watched the inevitable occur as the Supernova continued in his direction, the intense heat of the attack slowly melting his armor and disintegrating it before it scorched his skin, turning its peach color to red, as the smell of burning flesh reached the ozone. Despite the situation at hand, Bardock managed to smile at the vision what looked to be an older Kakarot facing off against Frieza as the Saiyan, along with his planet, became engulfed by the ball of destruction, causing a massive explosion in the chasm that was the universe.

Thousands of deaths took place that day, but a legend in the making was born. Frieza, unknowing of his future demise, smiled with glee as he successfully exterminated all, to his knowledge, of the blasted Saiyans.

"_WHAT?_" came the shout of a startled, yet irate Nappa. He was currently purging a planet but was perturbed by some horrific news. The tall Saiyan wore Elite Class battle armor that simply varied from the lowers with gold padding. He was a subordinate of Prince Vegeta and former general of the Saiyan Army was currently fuming in anger over an apparent message that was relayed unto him through his Scouter.

"What are you yelling about?" inquired a young Prince Vegeta, son of the late King Vegeta as he sat on a rock. He was nearly the spitting image of his father, besides age, of course. He had his trademark spiky flame-haired look, with two spiky bangs hanging over his forehead. He wore armor similar to that of Nappa's but rather than black undergarments, he wore bright blue and had the addition of a silky red cape that looked far too big for him, clipped to the white chest plates of his armor. To complete the outfit were white combat gloves.

Nappa visibly sweatdropped, complying to his Prince. "Forgive my outburst, my prince, but word has begun to spread that Planet Vegeta suffered a collision with a massive meteor..." Vegeta raised a single eyebrow, but didn't so much as bat an eye to the statement, scoffing instead. "...and in the process, it was completely destroyed by the subsequent explosion," Nappa said in a dejected tone, attempting to hide the hurt he felt at the thought of losing of dozens of comrades as well as his whole race.

"Well, go figure," was the only reply the prince gave, as he turned to the side. "Raditz!" he called out. "Yeah, Vegeta?" was his response, as a long-haired Saiyan child that looked about his age began to walk over. His armor was that of a low-class Saiyan, and so instead of gold padding and white chest plates, the colors were brown and black respectively. The shaggy-haired Saiyan made his way over to the young prince.

"Didn't you have a weakling younger brother that was just born? Was he killed too?" the prince asked, showing a lack of concern in how rude he came off. Raditz shook his head, saying, "Mother told me that he was sent off to a planet called 'Earth'. Since his power level was so low, my father had to send him to a planet with habitants that were equal to his strength." Vegeta hummed in response, assessing the information for later use as he remembered his own little younger brother, also cast out for being so weak―Tarble. He pressed the communication button on the side of his Scouter to disable anyone from hearing the following conversation and urged the other two Saiyans to do the same.

"Well, now that our numbers are cut by a couple thousand," Vegeta began as he grimaced, "we'll have to begin a small Saiyan allegiance with the ones who are left. Raditz, your cousin, Turles, he wasn't caught in the explosion as far as we know. Contact him as soon as possible, we need to regroup," he said as he earned a nod from the long-haired Saiyan. "In 20 years' time, we'll retrieve Raditz's brother Kakarot to join our forces―to me it seems like there's more to the destruction of Vegeta than meets the eye..."

* * *

Meanwhile, on a faraway planet known as Earth, a green goblin-like creature standing atop a massive, white, floating platform dressed in white royal garbs leaned over a wooden staff in deep contemplation before saying, "Popo, it is time―gather the Dragon Balls." A faint, "Yes, Kami-sama," was his only response to the figure with the kanji for god on his robe.

Kakarot's Saiyan space pod soared across the galaxy at a blistering pace, the child within said pod being forcefully strapped up by the device into his seat, before a virtual reality device attached itself to his face and temples, as a pink gas filled the surrounding area, serving as a sleep toxin. It would be a long few months.

During said months, on Planet Earth.

A dark figure began hopping and skipping above dunes of sand, seemingly with no effort, showing no signs of being affected by the unrelenting heat of the desert. This was Mr. Popo, the same Mr. Popo who was previously demanded to gather said "Dragon Balls".

He hummed to himself as he came to a halt, his short stature making him seem not too intimidating, but the look on his face showed centuries of battle, as did his clothing; it consisted of a maroon vest with a gold trim and matching gold rings around his arms, baggy white pants, held up by a red strap, with red pointed, one-toed shoes to match. To complete the outfit was a large white turban atop his head with an aqua-colored jewel crest in the center. His outfit was akin to that of a genie, but his dark, tar-colored skin and plump, red lips made him look like quite the unsettlingly creepy genie. Genie, or not, he was still on a quest, and bent over, rummaging his hand through the sand before he felt a solid, cold and rounded object. He pulled his hand out and when it emerged from the sand, what he held was a lustrous, orange-colored orb with six crimson-colored stars in the form of a hexagon surrounding one star in the center. This―was a Dragon Ball.

Mr. Popo's face lifted in delight as he smiled to himself, content with his conquest complete, as he called for his magic carpet to retrieve him and return him to Point A.

Within a matter of seconds, a maroon colored carpet came flying towards the genie, as he hopped up, allowing for it to fly underneath and sweep him away at immense speeds. 'I have done it Kami; I have located and acquired the seven Dragon Balls, meaning you shall be able to return to your former self!' Popo thought to himself, feeling ecstatic, as he placed the orb in a brown sack on his hip.

Popo made it back to the floating, white platform in a matter of seconds before hopping down in front of Kami. The latter allowed a smile to form upon his wrinkly features as he thanked Popo for gathering the balls.

In front of him lay seven of the orbs resembling the one Popo had acquired, each with a series of stars from one to the seventh, which had just been collected.

They began to simultaneously glow a yellowish color, before Kami shouted, "COME FORTH ETERNAL DRAGON! GRANT MY WISH!" and in a brilliant display of light, a gargantuan figure began to emerge from out of the seven balls. The sky turned dark as if it were nighttime, and thunder was heard in the distance as dark clouds began to emerge from seemingly nowhere.

A bright, yellow light illuminated the sky as it assumed the form of a long, serpent-like creature. Even in its coiled state, it still dwarfed the size of a skyscraper, possibly even larger in diameter than the Lookout itself, before a massive roar was heard. Kami and Popo looked upwards as they gazed upon the mystical figure of the myth of legend and Kami's creation, the Eternal Dragon Shenron.

The features visible were the dragon's massive, brown antlers, pointed teeth that were sharper than the world's finest dagger, jagged, gree, scaly skin, scarlet red eyes, short, in comparison to himself, gargoyle-like feet with four toes, two, long, flowing whiskers, a massive snout with crescent-shaped nostrils and swaying, green hair on his cheeks. This, was Shenron, the Divine Dragon Lord of legend said to be able to grant any wish, and that was precisely what he was summoned to do.

"You, who have summoned me, what is your wish? Speak now, for I shall disappear if you have not an idea of a request," his voice boomed out across several miles, stretching far past the neighboring towns and cities.

Kami slammed his staff on the porcelain ground as he began to speak in a loud voice, "Yes, Shenron! I do have a wish a request to be granted!" he said as he smiled, "I, Kami, wish for the restoration of, and eternal youth!" he finished.

The massive dragon's crimson eyes began to glow as he pondered the wish stated, "Very well, it is within the realm of possibility; it shall be done!" was all that was said before Kami began to feel a physical change in himself. His wrinkles slowly began to fade into nonexistence, his once olive-green color becoming that of a vibrant, shamrock color. His arms began to bulge as the once deteriorated muscles began to return, rejuvenating and revitalizing him. He felt as his once dormant strength begun to come back. He smiled as he dropped his wooden staff and began clenching and unclenching his fists in an attempt to feel out his muscles.

"Amazing! I feel young again!" he shouted before looking to Mr. Popo and grinning, "...and it is all thanks to you, old friend."

Mr. Popo began to tear up from the sudden adulation as he bowed his head in recognition. "It was my honor to be of assistance, Kami-sama!"

A familiar, booming voice saying "Farewell!" snapped the two out of their moment of joy as the Divine Dragon began to glow in a yellow light before dissipating, the seven balls from which he was summoned rising up to the height at which he stood, before scattering off in several directions, each leaving behind a trail of golden rays in their wake.

Kami smiled warmly, feeling as excited as ever to be young again. "So," he began, "I believe it is time that I assume my role as guardian and train for the upcoming threat―that is if we can even refer to it like that now..." he finished, rather smugly. "First order of business, we will have to upgrade the Room of Spirit and Time's capacity and efficiency, understood?" Earning a resolute nod from his assistant deity, the two made their way to a set of steps leading to a large wooden door... one that would be a portal between Earth and the Room of Spirit and Time.

* * *

Combat Power Listings:

Frieza: 530,000

Bardock: 10,500

Gine: 1,500

Kakarot: 20 (Lowest Recorded)

Dodoria: 22,000

Zarbon: 23,000

Popo: 300

Kami: 220

Kami (Youth Restored): 285

* * *

_Don't forget to review and comment, thanks!_


	2. A Confused Child

Kakarot's space pod soared through the Earth's atmosphere at an eccentric pace, the trip expected to take a few months actually took a year. This was only beneficial to him, as the same information bestowed upon him was able to be relayed multiple times until he got a heavy grasp of all the techniques, attacks, etc.

The pod came nearer and nearer to the Earth's rocky terrain, making its way past a small mountain, into a surrounding deciduous area. Said area, however, contained an unsuspecting elderly man with a bushy white mustache and thick beard. He wore a green hat, a Chinese martial arts uniform with black pants and black shoes; this, was Son Gohan, former student, and protégé of Master Roshi, the world's strongest earthling. He hummed to himself quietly, strolling through the woods on account of one of his daily walks, before an explosion high above him, followed by a crash, snapped him out of his reverie.

"What in the world was that?" the elderly man inquired. What he didn't know, however, was that it was something off-worldly, and his encounter with this off-worldly being would change his life forever.

He ran through the trees, down a dirt path, leading to a clearing where he saw a deep smoke being emitted. Through the smoke, he was able to decipher that whatever had crash-landed created a massive crater at least 15 meters in diameter and 7 meters deep.

He shielded his eyes, waiting for the smoke to dissipate, causing him to cough lightly. After a few seconds, the smoke cleared, however, and what lay in front of Gohan's eyes left him stupefied; a white sphere, possibly the size of a car, lay in the crater, and dents in its material.

Gohan rushed into the crater, getting close to, but not too close, to the sphere. He was halted when he heard a whirring noise coming from it. Accompanying the noise was a hatch on the sphere which began to descend.

A distinct creaking noise was heard as a figure within the sphere became visible. Gohan's eyebrows raised in curiosity as the figure began to emerge.

Kakarot gathered his senses, easing himself from the turbulence experienced by the crash, as he grabbed the outside of his pod, using it as leverage to lift himself up and out.

Gohan was surprised to see that a child who looked no older than two years of age emerge from the apparently extraterrestrial device. 'Could this be an alien?' he thought, 'He looks no different from the average human toddler.'

The toddler in question was dressed in odd clothing, to Gohan, at least. He wore a black, white-trimmed battle armor chest plate, with a dark green stomach protector, green shoulder straps. Around his wrists were crimson red wrist guards. His lower half mainly consisted of black, spandex, combat pants, crimson red thigh guards, as to match his wrists and black combat boots. On his face, he wore a green scouter, a device unknown to Gohan, and a crimson red headband beneath the spiky bangs of his black, palm tree like hair. His features were soft, yet contorted to give him a displeased look. His cold, dark, onyx eyes stared hard at the old man who stared back at him in awe and slight unease. Behind the toddler, swaying back in forth in what seemed like anticipation, was a brown, furry appendage that Gohan recognized as a monkey tail. 'How bizarre!' At the sight of a being other than him, the toddler settled into a traditional Saiyan battle stance. Seeing this, Gohan thought quickly and attempted to appease the boy before he did anything irrational.

Collecting himself, Gohan cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back as to show he meant no harm. Politely, he said, "Hey there, little fella. My name is Son Gohan, what's your name?" He tried to force down his nervousness as much as he could, making sure to be as amicable as possible to the young Saiyan, before seeing said toddler become more at ease and drop his stance. His feet were spread only a few inches apart, just to make sure if any sudden movements were made he was prepared, and he lowered his arms to his sides. Gohan earned a grunt in response and a low growl of, "Kakarot."

Gohan raised his eyebrow, not quite catching what the boy had said. "Can you repeat that, please? I didn't quite catch that." This seemed to make the child's eyebrow twitch in annoyance as he grunted and spoke up, his voice much clearer now, as he shouted, "Kakarot!" Gohan recoiled a bit by the sporadic change of tone but settled himself and smiled warmly. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Kakarot. Now, where are you from? I haven't quite seen a child like you; what with the clothes... and..." he gulped nervously, before saying, "tail, on your back."

Kakarot snorted. Was his warrior race this that unheard of that he had to explain why he had a tail to begin with and of his background.

"Well, about one year ago, I was sent off of my home planet by my father, Bardock, in an attempt to save me from imminent doom. You see, a tyrant named Frieza, the most powerful being in our universe feared an uprising of my now fallen race, by his hands of course, and so he blew up the planet on account of his fear. My parents, more so, my father, wished to save my life and aid me in starting anew on this planet, telling me to learn from its strongest people, and such. So, what he did was use a refugee pod, as you can see here," as he pointed in the direction of the white sphere, "and programmed it to inform me of the situation, techniques that he knew of, how to perfect and implement them, things like that. I was also educated to whatever extent possible by my father, who was only able to provide so much information, living among such a dystopian society. And so, now, I'm here; on planet Earth." As Kakarot finished telling his story, he looked down with a look of sadness, still mulling over the fact that his father sacrificed everything for him to survive; he then concluded, to himself, that he would do his best to fulfill his father's wish and looked back up to see a frozen Gohan. He was shocked, to say the least. With every last piece of information being relayed unto him, his eyes would widen more in more as he felt remorse for the child, and anger towards such a selfish being. Feeling sorry for the young boy, he thought of something that he would be able to do in order to help him out. He felt no ill will coming off of the boy, rather, confusion which Kakarot misconstrued by himself as anger. He could also sense the dormant potential that lied within the child, as he was no older than two or three, and yet had nearly a third of his power―from what the elderly man could sense. A lightbulb lit in Gohan's head as he came up with a solution; he would train this boy, assisting him in achieving his goal, teach him about the world that was his new home, and once he had no more to teach him and he was more trustworthy, he would be allowed to go out into the world, by himself. Yes, it was settled; Gohan would be taking Kakarot in as his grandson.

"Kakarot," the elderly man called out to the child, who in turn looked up at the elderly man with a questioning look, "how about I take you in, assist you with the training that you so very much desire, and provide for you what I can during your stay here, on Earth? Well, what do you say?" the elderly man asked, smiling at the boy with genuine kindness in his voice that even Kakarot could sense.

Contemplating the offer, Kakarot soon decided that he would oblige, as the opportunity to a free home, food, and a master was just what he needed; especially the first benefit. Before doing so, however, he pressed a red button on the device that rested on his ear as the eyepiece of it began to beep as a set of numbers displayed on the screen. Kakarot aimed the device towards Gohan, as the man in question asked him what he was doing.

"I'm using my Scouter to register your combat power; your power level, if you will," he said as if it was obvious. Gohan seemed confused at first but deciphered that it was most likely a device to analyze his strength. Smirking, the old man clenched his fists and scrunched his face in concentration. Following so, he raised his _ki_ by a slight margin, causing the Scouter to settle onto...

"70? Isn't that far above average for a human?" Gohan smiled modestly and nodded, causing Kakarot to smirk. "So not only are you rather strong for your age and race, but you concealed your full power as well. Teach me how to do that, old man..."

"Gohan."

"Gohan," Kakarot repeated, "_please_, teach me how to attain this type of power. I wanna get started immediately!" Gohan was happy that the child had such enthusiasm, but was questioning whether or not he was ready, especially at his age.

"Hey, but first," Kakarot began, waiting until he had Gohan's full attention, "I want to spar with you―just to see where I stand in comparison to _your_ power."

Gohan gave the boy a light smile before asking, "Are you sure you're even old enough to fight me? I'll have to go easy on you either way," Gohan asked haughtily. Kakarot scoffed in response.

"Are you sure you aren't _too old_ to fight?" Kakarot retorted. Gohan chuckled and shifted into a stance. He slowly spread his legs about three feet apart, raising his left arm in a defensive stance, while the right rested as a fist upon his hip. "So be it, then―Kakarot."

Kakarot bounced up and down, rolling his shoulders as he did so, and when he ceased jumping, he set himself into a traditional Saiyan battle stance. "_Now_ you're talking!" he shouted, as the two stared each other down, sizing the other up. They both took in all of the other's formation, analyzing closely to see any slight deviations in the other's stance. At noticing Gohan's foot shift slightly, Kakarot lunged forward in a burst of speed. He raised his leg in position for a kick, and within a second was a mere inch from hitting Gohan before the old man grabbed the foot with his left hand.

Gohan was caught slightly off guard but focused on tightening his grip as much as possible, as he tossed the boy up into the air.

Kakarot soared up a couple of hundred feet, surprised by the immense strength the old man displayed, but righted himself and looked towards the ground. He was surprised to see that Gohan was nowhere in sight before he heard a whip behind him and quickly turned his head to see Gohan readying himself for an ax-head strike. Kakarot acted quickly and proceeded to perform a roundhouse kick that hit Gohan in his side, causing him to fly a couple of feet away, giving him enough distance to collect himself. Gohan winced at the slight pain but righted himself as the two fell victim to gravity and readied for the impact.

They both landed lightly on their feet and at the very instance they made contact with the ground, they lunged at each other, clashing forearms, both wincing at the sting of the impact. The two of them smirked at each other, before jumping back and indirectly agreeing that that was enough for now, as they began to walk in the direction of Gohan's home.

The walk was rather quiet until the old man was broken from his thoughts by the rumbling of the child's stomach. Gohan chuckled and motioned for him to follow hurry up, to which the child gladly obliged. "And as we continue to my home, tell me all you can about yourself," Gohan stated, keeping his eye on the path. Kakarot, several feet behind him, obliged and began to inform him as much as he could about himself that he had not said already.

Gohan reasoned that he would educate Kakarot in as much as he could about the Earth to the best of his ability. While limited, he was able to instruct him at a young age in the basics of mathematics, history, and science, which Kakarot had an aptitude for, much to Gohan's delight; he wasn't just a brute after all. They would spar daily, Gohan making sure not to use too much of his power, but quickly realized this was not the best option, as the kid adapted more as he battled. And so, over the next two years, Kakarot would continue to, along with Gohan, discover more and more about himself. Kakarot had informed Gohan that he would transform into a very disastrous monster at the sight of the full moon, and Gohan made a suggestion; since he had already been told by Kakarot that he would not remove his tail by any means, as it was all that his pride stood for. Instead, Gohan suggested that Kakarot learn how to adjust to a major weakness which lied in his tail. Whenever they would spar, Kakarot would begin to give in to his primal instincts in the heat of battle, and due to this, his strikes would get more and more out of hand, more powerful with each blow, and Gohan noticed that if his tail was grabbed, he would faint, thus making him lose all his power.

"Well, here on Earth, we have a form of spiritual and mental practice known as meditation. Along with this are several subsets of said practice, and one of them is sungazing; essentially, you must concentrate as much as you can to look in the direction of the sun, not directly at it to absorb its rays, as they are extremely beneficial to one's health. I believe you can be able to do the same with the full moon, but we should start on the first day of each month, just to be safe. Maybe it is possible that you can reach a form in which you don't transform, rather attaining the strength of an Oozaru, but stay in base." The five-year-old Kakarot analyzed what Gohan said very carefully, mulling over the thought of meditating to harness the power of an Oozaru. It did not take long for him to comply, and so for the next 12 months, Kakarot would practice the art of moongazing, and on the final day of the month, he would look in the direction of the moon, absorbing the Blutz Waves necessary to achieve the transformation, but would push down the urges as much as he could.

It started off rough, as every time Kakarot would even get a glimpse at the moon, his primal instincts would slowly take over, deteriorating all of his sense of reason, little by little, causing him to strike at Gohan blindly. At first, it seemed like no trouble to the old man to dodge and block the ill-prepared strikes, but as the first month went by, right before the final day, he was beginning to fall behind in power. The child's outbursts and brash temper was sure to be a problem; rather than thinking with his fists and feet, he would have to learn to think with his mind and soul.

It was on the final day of the month that Gohan realized that there would be some real problems.

As Kakarot sat down on a rock in the middle of a stream, a light breeze caused his hair to flow in the dark of the night. Blades of grass were brushing against his clothing as he sat cross-legged, gazing upwards at a cluster of dark clouds. Watching tentatively as they slowly parted to make way for the full moon. He inhaled sharply, whispering, "Here we go..." as he stared at the full moon, revealed in its whole glory, as the clouds made way for Kakarot's line of sight to be undisturbed.

Gohan stood several tens of feet away, watching Kakarot intently, settling into a stance, preparing himself for the worst. Kakarot just sat in stillness, allowing his skin to bask in the moon's rays, the moonlight giving his whole body a fluorescent glow, before...

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

Kakarot's chest heaved up and down, in a repeated motion, his heart rate quickened, the beat becoming more fierce as it slammed against his chest.

Dark brown whiskers began to form on either side of Kakarot's face, hair from the top of his head beginning to grow over his face, becoming the same color as his newly formed whiskers. His face extended into a snout, fangs protruding from his mouth. His palms began to bleed, the red liquid seeping into his now fur, as his nails grew into claws. His features became far more feral, and his eyes turned a deep, scarlet-red color. He began to slowly grow in size, growling as he did so until he grew a towering 30 feet in height. Luckily, due to the fabric of his armor, it expanded in size along with him. Oozaru Kakarot let out a massive roar that nearly shook the planet with its might.

Gohan looked on with a great deal of fright as he watched his grandson, now turned Great Ape, bang his chest and screech, making his presence known. Gohan thought to call out to Kakarot, and thinking that trying was better than nothing, attempted to do so. He cupped his hands over his lips, screaming,

"_Kakarot! Kakarot DO YOU HEAR ME?!_" Gohan screamed at the top of his lungs, directly at the massive creature. The chest banging and screeching lessened as he continued to call out his name, waiting for any signs of recognition. As the ape's primal actions waned and came to a halt, Gohan found out that the fruits of meditation and moongazing had been put to good use. For now, Kakarot had ceased his actions and stood upright, glaring down at the old man.

"Kakarot, can you tell who I am?" he asked cautiously, inching closer to the beast. Receiving a slow, but a sure nod from the ape, he let out a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, then we'll try to get you to meditate while in this form until you can speak coherently and fully control yourself. Is that understood?" Yet again, receiving a nod, Gohan sat himself a good 20 feet away from the ape and got into a meditative stance, motioning for the ape to mimic him. The ground shook as Kakarot sat his legs back into a crosslegged formation, but nonetheless, no great deal of damage was caused.

'_And we're only 1/12 of the way there..._' Gohan thought, sweatdropping as he closed his eyes.

* * *

With each passing month, he would gain enough control to prevent the brown fur from spreading all over his body, the growth of a snout, but couldn't prevent the glowing, crimson-red eyes from becoming a part of him. On the twelfth month of training, however, he discovered something quite strange, while moongazing.

Kakarot was sitting atop a rock in the middle of the river in a cross-legged position, his hands cupped together, taking in the serenity of his surroundings, sensing Gohan closeby watching his every movement, ensuring that he did not lose control. It had never happened throughout the training, but Gohan did not wish to take any risks, and so supervised the boy every night. As Kakarot was performing his moongazing, he didn't see all red as he normally did when he looked down into the still water of the river. Kakarot squinted his eyes as he looked closely at his pupils, which were fully visible in the moonlight. Instead of crimson-red, they were an amber color, something akin to a dark, bronze-gold shade.

Gohan stepped out, seeing Kakarot's form shift, looking to see what was wrong. "Kakarot, is something the matter?" the man inquired.

"No," he breathed out calmly, "quite the opposite, actually. I feel far more... in control than usual." The statement made Gohan perk up slightly. He then felt Kakarot's _ki_, and true to what the child said, his power did increase tenfold, as usual, but he looked to still be in base form, with no visible, drastic, cosmetic alterations.

"The power increase definitely is there, and I'm certainly proud that you've come so far in so short of a time. I had thought you would be erratic during the training, letting lose whenever, but your aura is far calmer than I would have suspected." Kakarot grinned with pride, thanking his grandfather for the adulation. The boy stood up on the rock to his full height, gazing at the moon with a blank expression. '_I'm one step closer to my goal_,' he thought to himself. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he said aloud, "Well, the grind doesn't stop, old man," as he turned to Gohan, "tomorrow starts our real training!" he said, clenching his fist in anticipation. Gohan gave an eye smile back at him, but in the back of his head, he thought, '_You say that now, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep up for much longer than five more years with you! You sure have come a long way, boy. I'm proud―very proud, indeed._'

* * *

Atop Kami's Lookout

Kami had his eyes closed in meditation, as he stood at full height, around 8"2, clutching his staff in both hands. He had become far more adjusted to his youthful body in the past few years, allowing him to not only fulfill his guardian duties but contemplate on the future and modify a few things to ensure a better one.

The first order of business that he took care of after the Dragon Balls had scattered was entering the Room of Spirit and Time with Mr. Popo. Initially, he had thought it was dangerous for him to leave the Lookout unattended but reasoned that not much could occur in 24 hours, and if something had, the training within the said room would be enough to appease any threat. Speaking of, the Room of Spirit and Time was the greatest places of utility on Earth. One could attain the power of training in a year on the inside in the equivalent to a day on the outside. Entering the room would reveal to anyone that inside is simply an infinite, white, iridescent void [in all directions]. Walking forward will lead one to a set of steps, on the right side is a recuperating area, and straight forward, if one goes down the set of steps, they would experience gravity 10x that of Earth. As one goes farther into the depths of the chamber, they would experience more intense gravity, denser air, natural disasters, and harsh weather conditions. Implementing this into his training, Kami had Mr. Popo tag along, giving him a near even training partner to spar with, and someone to keep him from going insane, one of the downsides for a mentally ill-prepared warrior.

In the chamber, Kami was not only able to increase his physical prowess exponentially, but his skill in relation to his roots; the ability to use magic, to some extent. Upon exiting the chamber, he felt the drastic increase in power, and to examine how far he had come, he upgraded the usage of the Time Chamber, reaching a power that allowed him to modify the chamber to the point that one could enter it a limitless amount of times, with the drawback, more so benefit, of not aging past seven years in the chamber. He was also able to strengthen the usage of the Dragon Balls to four wishes, three if one were to use another to revive multiple beings, and one can make a duplicate wish an infinite number of times.

Mister Popo, clearly not having potential akin to that of a god, was able to attain a drastic power increase, but mainly refined his techniques as well as mental and spiritual prowess, tapping into various skills he didn't even know were lying within him. As Kami told him that soon, his most powerful successor would be under his guidance in a matter of years, Popo made it his goal to be able to fulfill that duty to the best of his ability.

"Popo," Kami said aloud, garnering the attention of the assistant deity, "years from now, it will be time, and I want us to be prepared for that day; that is the main reason I am doing all of this." Kami waited for a response from Popo, and when all he received was a silent nod, he continued. "We _do_ have seven years left, so I want this to be specifically geared towards intense meditation and scouting out potential allies to defend the planet, is that understood?"

After hearing the plan laid in front of him, Mr. Popo didn't even need to think before he obliged to Kami's wishes, allowing himself to continue with his daily gardening; he adduced that this would be the most placid form of meditation, meaning he could continue with his #1 hobby.

"Oh, and Popo," Kami said, "tell me what you know about Namek." With a smile that extended from ear to ear, Mr. Popo gladly obliged.

It would be a _long_ seven years.

Combat Power Listings:  
Gohan: 151

Kakarot: 900

Kakarot (Super Oozaru/Base): 9,000

Kami (Post HTC): -,-

Popo (Post HTC): -,-


	3. A Strange Encounter

_WARNING: __Mature and suggestive sexual themes._

* * *

Seven long years had passed since Kakarot had begun to train under Son Gohan. Throughout this time, he was able to learn and perfect many different techniques, create variations of his own, and simply learn as much as he could about anything and everything within reach.

He was able to completely master his Super Oozaru form, as he liked to call it. He realized that his strength was mainly displayed during the nighttime, and so he concluded that it would be rather troublesome to only be at maximum strength during one period of the day. He had remembered that his father created a technique called the Blutz Ball, essentially an artificial moon.

The main source of the power that Saiyans obtained from the moon was a form of energy called Blutz Waves. These are an energy source that is emitted from celestial bodies such as a full moon or the Earth itself. It is only when a Saiyan absorbs 17,000,000 Zenos, or the unit used to measure the waves of celestial light, through the retina, a reaction occurs in the tail which serves as a catalyst for the transformation. Kakarot's father, Bardock, was able to come up with a technique that implemented combining one's _ki_ with the atmosphere of any designated planet―the eventual reaction that would ensue is, of course, the Oozaru transformation. Of course, being that the technique provided such an immense amount of power, a drawback of it was that it was extremely taxing on the body. What Kakarot would do to counter this, however, was use the technique repeatedly in harsh conditions―_every single day_.

He would fly up about 30,000 feet, or at least up to a point when the air would become harder for him to inhale, getting as high into the atmosphere as possible, before performing the Blutz Ball technique. Just as he did when he would moongaze, he would meditate while doing so, attempting to keep the form for as long as possible, or at least until the point of extreme fatigue. This continued for the seven years, and now Kakarot was 13 years of age.

In terms of his appearance, he had changed quite a bit. No longer a little boy, he stood at a height of 5"1. His trademark spiky, palm tree like hair remained the same, but his facial features were rather different. He abandoned his permanent scowl for a more placid and relaxed look. His guard was always up, however, but he had calmed down considerably under Gohan's mentorship and living quite a peaceful life. His clothing had also changed as well, as he went for a more Earthling look. He wore a dark grey martial arts gi, a white belt holding up his black pants which were tucked into his age-old black combat boots. There was a hole for his tail and it was wrapped tightly around his waist.

Kakarot had also buffed up considerably from the time that he had begun training. His arms consisted of developing muscles, rather than his chubby arms from before, his chest visibly showed through his gi, as did his six-pack of abs that were wrapped behind his clothing. He looked well beyond his age in terms of physique, but he was no older than a regular teenager.

The boy in question was currently standing in a stream, his pants rolled up above his knees, as he heightened his senses and focused deeply. He glared at the water, taking in the sounds of the splashing and rippling water as he saw the form of his target come into view.

In a swift motion, he jutted his hand into the water with a great deal of speed and retracted it quickly with the fin of a massive Mount Paozu tuna in his grip. The fish began to flail around in his hand, obviously unknowing that its efforts were entirely fruitless. Kakarot licked his lips in delight as he stepped out of the stream and slipped on his shoes, heading towards the path that led to his home.

* * *

A car raced down the mountainous path of Paozu as a lavender-haired girl within the vehicle began muttering to herself. She pressed a button on the top of a compass-like device in her hands as a grid appeared on the screen of the device. With a _beep,_ a flashing yellow dot made itself known as it revealed itself on the grid in the direction that she was headed. She smiled to herself, "So it's _this_ way. Nice!" she said, as she stomped her foot on the gas as the speed of the vehicle increased. Dust kicked up behind her as she made her way around a sharp turn as she scaled the mountainside. The screeching of tires against the rocky ground was heard by an unsuspecting Kakarot as he turned his head in the opposite direction of where he was headed.

"The hell...?" He squinted his eyes as an unfamiliar object came into view. He was able to make out the figure of a female, her gloved hands gripping a wheel tightly with a determined look on her face―her lavender, braided ponytail flailing in the wind as she sped towards him. To Kakarot, everything happened in slow motion, but to the girl in the car, she was driving far too quickly before she noticed the figure of a boy walking on the path. She gasped as she slammed her hand on the horn as she began to shout, "HEY! GET OUT OF THE ROAD!" she screeched at the top of her lungs.

Kakarot took notice of this but showed little care. He shifted his figure to face the car completely, as he glared in the direction of the vehicle.

_Shit! So he isn't going to move?!_ the girl thought to herself as she inhaled deeply, readying herself to slam her foot on the brake before she felt herself come to a complete halt. She was nearly flung forward through the windshield as her car tipped forward. It stopped mere inches in front of the boy and she braced herself for impact before the car slammed its tires on the dirt road. She was in a slight daze but collected herself to glare at the cause of her problems. Little did she know, if it weren't for Kakarot using his _ki_ to halt her vehicle, she most likely would have died or suffered fatal injuries at the least.

She growled as she leaped over the car door and started stomping towards the boy. She was wearing a pink blouse with **BULMA** in bold black letters sprawled across her chest. Around her waist was a brown belt with a pouch clipped to it on her left hip, and to complete the fit was violet socks tucked into aqua and white colored sneakers. To Kakarot, her appearance, in general, was rather dull, but something about her enthralled him as she stomped in his direction.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, dumbass?! Didn't you see me driving here?!" she shouted, her face turning red with anger.

Kakarot raised an eyebrow in response. "Didn't _you_ see me walking? Also, I live here, and I think it rather rude for you to intrude on me like this." His response only further upset the girl, but she mulled over his words a bit and remembered what she had traveled there for in the first place―the Dragon Ball. She calmed herself down considerably, putting on as much of a smile as she could to deescalate the situation.

"You know what, you're right. It was my fault for speeding in the first place, so, I apologize," she said as sincerely as she possibly could. If this boy feared not even a car collision, then there must be something about him she was unaware of. She bowed politely and waiting for a response. At hearing a grunt and "Apology accepted" she sighed and raised her head to look at him, before having to look down due to the height difference.

"So, what brings you here, anyway?" asked the growingly impatient Kakarot. He was just about ready to feast before this girl interrupted him, so he wished she'd make it quick.

The girl used her hand to flip the ponytail behind her with a snobbish look in her eye.

"Well _excuse you_. Is that any way to talk to a beautiful woman, such as myself?" she said with pride in her voice. Kakarot sweatdropped and gave her a bored expression, causing her to snap back to her senses. "Oh, yeah, my name is Bulma," she began, "Bulma Brief―and I'm here 'cause I'm searching for the Dragon Balls." Kakarot quirked an eyebrow. "Dragon's… Balls?" he inquired.

At the implication, Bulma's cheeks visibly tinted a shade of pink as she gave a frustrated look. She gave out a heavy groan and said, "No, moron―Dragon Balls. How have you never heard of them before?" she asked. Kakarot shrugged his shoulders and urged her to continue explaining. "They're mystical artifacts…" she began as she reached for the pouch on her hip and began rummaging through, "that when all seven are gathered together call upon the mythical dragon Shenron, who will grant someone any wish." she finished, revealing two tangerine-like orbs in her hands. Each had two and five red stars respectively.

"I found one in the warehouse of my home and wondered what it was. For months, I was unable to find out anything from anyone about it, but after doing some thorough research, I was able to find a document that explained what it was and the purpose it served; or they, you could say."

Kakarot leaned over Bulma's outstretched hands and gazed at the objects as a gleam shone across them. A light bulb lit in his head as he remembered...

"I have one of those―it has four stars," he said in a low voice. Bulma, hearing this, began to get excited. She quickly shoved the two balls back in her pouch. "That's what I'm here for! My dragon radar picked up a signal that there was one on this mountain," at Kakarot's confused look, she explained that it was a device she created that facilitated locating the balls. He mentally noted that the girl must have been quite intelligent to have created a device such as the latter, and so his curiosity got the best of him.

"You must be pretty smart then, huh? To have created something so useful," he said, unknowingly waving his tail around behind him, which didn't go unnoticed by Bulma.

"Yeah," she started, as she stared at the furry appendage behind the boy, "something… like that…" she trailed off. _What a dumbass… attaching a fake monkey tail to himself―he probably thinks its cool_. She visibly smirked and Kakarot asked, "Something funny?" with a rather serious tone.

She waved him off, a bead of sweat trailing down her temples as she waved her hands, "No, no, it's nothing," she said with a nervous chuckle. "So, how about you take me to your Dragon Ball?" she stated, more than asked, as she clasped her hands together with a grin.

Kakarot snorted and said motioned for her to follow him, as they walked up to the path towards Gohan's hut.

Once they reached the wooden door entrance of the humble house, Kakarot opened it up and said, "Wait here," as he went inside and walked up to a porcelain pedestal with a violet cushion atop it. On the cushion rested the Dragon Ball; this one had four stars on its surface and a silver chain attached to it. The ball was clipped to a part of the chain. Kakarot bowed in front of it respectfully before lifting it with care and placing it over his mess of hair as it dangled around his neck before beginning to walk back outside.

"Yo," he called out, gaining Bulma's attention, "here it is," he said, pointing to the orb around his neck.

Bulma stared at the chain with awe and began to grin widely before running up to him, bending down to chest level, aiming to grab the orb that rested around his neck. She was stopped by the firm hand of Kakarot grabbing her wrist. She looked up looked at the boy as he looked down at her with a serious expression, "You can't have it," he said plainly.

Bulma freed herself, albeit difficultly, from his grasp. "B-but w-why?" she sputtered out, confused as to why the boy wouldn't comply with her wishes.

"Because…" he began as he looked down at the artifact, "it's a memorandum of my grandfather… he… passed earlier this year and this is the most valuable possession he left behind. He didn't care all that much for materialistic things, but..." he trailed off before he was cut off by the contact of Bulma's hand resting on his shoulder. She gave him a sad smile and said, "I understand, but how about this… we'll collect all the other Dragon Balls, together, and you can hold onto your ball until we make the wish, then, you can keep your ball. Deal?" Bulma tried her best to keep up a caring façade, hoping that the boy would fall for her ruse. _He doesn't need to know that the balls scatter across the earth after Shenron is summoned._

Kakarot donned a serious expression for a split second―_And _you_ don't need to know that I can read the minds of those weaker than me… but I digress_.

He feigned a sigh and rolled his shoulders, causing Bulma to retract her hand. "I guess you're right―my grandfather wanted me to explore the world anyway; I don't know enough about humans as it is, and you _are_ the first earthling female I've ever seen in my life," he said.

Bulma took on a curious expression upon hearing "human" and "earthling" before the boy continued―" oh, and my grandfather always told me to be nice to girls, and I don't believe I ever told you my name, it's Kakarot." Bulma's expression changed from curiosity to that of slight respect.

"Your grandfather sounds like he knew what he was talking about, Kakarot," she said as she smirked at the thought of his name. _Sounds like a vegetable_. "Also, what type of name is Kakarot?"

The boy in question scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "Are you in a place to talk? Your name literally means underwear," he retorted, ignoring Bulma's annoyed expression, "and it' happens to be a _Saiyan_ name, mind you. I mean, I'm not a human after all, so I wouldn't have such a silly name like yours."

Ignoring his jab at her name, she looked at him with a stupefied look. "Wait, you're _not_ _human_―an alien, rather? You're… a… _Saiyan_ or whatever you said?" at Kakarot's nod, he said something that confused her even further― "You want to see the ship I was sent here in?"

Bulma's eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets. "_Sh-SHIP_? As in _SPACESHIP_? Why didn't you say anything before?!" she shouted, raising her arms in the air to display her surprise.

"You never asked," he deadpanned, "and it wasn't the topic of the conversation."

Bulma scratched her head and gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, whatever," she said before gaining a serious look, "But this could be the discovery of a lifetime! I mean, I am a scientist, after all," she said with pride, puffing her chest out and sticking her nose in the air.

Kakarot was quite surprised―her interest in his pod confirmed that she was intelligent, most likely a scientist, too, from the sounds of it.

"Wait, what's your profession?"

Bulma grinned at his question. "I'm glad you asked! I'm an aspiring scientist, a genius, a model―that one was a joke," she said. Kakarot remained unamused. "And the daughter of the famous Dr. Brief―Founder of Capsule Corporation and the smartest man on earth!"

At this claim, Kakarot was quite interested. "Wait, as in Hoi Poi Capsules?" he inquired.

"Ah, so you _have_ heard of them! You aren't as uncultured as I thought you were!" she joked. "Speaking of," she said as she took out said Capsule. It was white and shaped like a medicinal pill but larger with a blue ribbon around the center with a "C" and button on the top. Bulma pressed the button and the car that she had driven in became encased in a cloud of smoke. With a loud _BAM,_ the cloud of smoke cleared revealing no car where it had once stood.

Kakarot looked at where the car had stood and pointed in said direction, looking towards Bulma with a dumbfounded look. Nodding in affirmation to his unasked question, Bulma said, "Yup! These capsules are used as a form of storage; there isn't anything that can't fit inside one of these―anything! Pretty cool, huh?" Kakarot shook his head to revert himself back to his senses, saying, "Nevermind that, let's go find the damn ship," he grumbled. He just wanted to get all of this over with so that he could begin their quest.

He ran in the direction of the woods, speeding past and evading all the trees, making sure to keep at a pace that Bulma could follow. Even so, she was behind him panting heavily, begging for him to slow down. Her request fell on deaf ears as the boy continued towards the space pod's location.

* * *

After about 30 seconds of running, Kakarot stood before a large crater, one that contained the device that he arrived on the planet in. After a few seconds, an annoyed Bulma finally caught up. She was panting heavily as she leaned against a tree to keep her balance. She seemed as though she was going to say something but pushed back the urge as she was far too tired. _You're lucky… asshole…_

"Here it is," Kakarot said, jumping into the crater, gracefully landing in front of the pod as though it was nothing. _Just who _is _this kid?_ the lavender-haired beauty thought. She was shaken from her stupor as the sound of the pod creaking open at the presence of Kakarot. Bulma rushed over to the pod with what little energy she had left, her amazement serving as a form of adrenaline.

The girl slid down the dirt slope of the crater as she neared the space pod with a look of awe.

"Shit…" she breathed out. She looked inside the now exposed interior. The amount of advanced alien technology that fascinated her was innumerable. She giggled with mirth as a childish smile made its way onto her face. She bit her lip and began rubbing her thighs against each other as her feet shifted and she squealed in glee. She had one hand grab the cloth around her crotch tightly and clenched the other so hard it began to shake. Bulma was beginning to feel short of breath and Kakarot simply stared at her with a confused look.

_The female gender… How bizarre! _he thought as he watched Bulma collect herself and take out an empty storage capsule before again looking stupefied as his pod disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Bulma righted herself, still giggling with glee at the discovery before saying, "If you don't mind, I'll be taking this back home after we collect the Dragon Balls to study it with my father." Receiving a shrug from the boy, she assumed that meant it was alright and thanked him greatly. Kakarot seemed indifferent before he felt something soft touch his cheek. He turned his gaze to the girl next to him, who placed a light kiss on his cheek. She winked at him and stifled a laugh as she saw the deep tint of red on his face. He hadn't the slightest idea of what it was that she had just done, but it felt… nice.

He placed a hand where her lips had been as his mouth hung open in doubt. He faced the girl that had just kissed him and asked in a whisper, as he was beginning to lose his voice, "What… w-was _that_ for?" he breathed out. Bulma gave him a sly smile and said, "Just a 'thank you' since you just made my day―in more ways than one," she said, "besides, you're kind of cute."

At Bulma's words, Kakarrot turned redder than he already was and uttered a soft "thanks".

Bulma giggled at the boy's reaction and thought, _It sure is fun to tease this kid. It might not be that bad traveling with a… Saiyan_. Then she realized something― "Wait," she began, "how are we supposed to get out of this crater?" her response was a quick, firm hand placing itself around her waist, and she squeaked in shock. She traced the hand around to see the boy that she had just called cute wrapping his arm around her.

"Hold on," Kakarot said before he pushed his feet up off the dirt and began to hover above the ground, ignoring Bulma's frantic speech as pebbles and dust began to pick up and whirl beneath his feet. Soon enough, the two teens were above the trees and Bulma tightly wrapped her arms around Kakarot's neck in fear. The only thing ceasing her fright from taking over was the feeling she got of the young boy's musculature. The soft skin of her arms coiled around his strong, stiff neck was one thing, but her hands were placed right over the cloth that covered his chest, and the firm, chiseled feeling she felt nearly made her melt with lust. She felt a lower part of her getting moist and she blushed, instinctively wrapping her legs around Kakarot's waist.

The contact Kakarot felt gave him a weird feeling, but he managed to collect himself and wrap his tail around the girl's back, pulling her closer to him. He had just met her but already felt something within himself with her around that he had never felt before. _Weird_, he thought as an odd noise snapped him out of his thoughts. Bulma, who currently had her eyes closed shut, was moaning softly in Kakarot's ear. He was shocked, to say the least, but didn't get the chance to say anything before―

"_Mm_," was all he heard until he felt Bulma's legs, wrapped around him, grinding against him, her crotch area moving up and down on his hip. Kakarot had an unidentifiable expression on his face, but the redness of his face was an obvious telling of his embarrassment. "_Ahh, sh-shit,_" was the last thing he heard Bulma say before he felt a moistness trail down Bulma's thighs which began to seep through his gi and on his skin.

Bulma stopped shifting herself onto Kakarot before slightly convulsing and moaning in delight.

"_Kakarot_," she whispered to the scared, more or less, boy, "_take me…_" she said.

Confused, Kakarot asked, "Where? To my house?" Bulma gave a slight groan, slowly fluttering her eyes open, saying, "Nevermind…" rather annoyedly. "Just gather anything you need with you and let's go."

Oblivious as to why the girl was so annoyed, Kakarot shook his head and started flying towards his hut.

* * *

After grabbing his belongings, which consisted of his battle armor, which he placed in a brown sack on his back along with a red-colored staff with gold rims placed in a wooden scabbard. With a string attached to it, he placed it over his head and placed it around his neck.

Bulma, who sat with one leg over the other atop a rock, wondered what was taking the boy so long. She pondered it for a bit, and thought that her outburst was unjustified and was going to apologize to him for… _Whatever_, but her pride prevented her from doing so, so she continued her façade of annoyance.

Hearing a door close, she looked up to see Kakarot, ready and raring to go. "You finally ready?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

Kakarot nodded. "Yep, let's go," and so Bulma hopped off her rock before asking, "You wanna fly or go for a ride?" Kakarot smirked.

"Whichever brings you more pleasure." Bulma's face scrunched up in anger, but she still trudged towards the boy and latched onto him in the same position as before.

"Just be ready fly 15 kilometers north, monkey boy."

"You'll regret saying that," Kakarot said before he took to the skies at a breakneck pace and faced north before saying, "Hold on tight," and grinning.

* * *

Combat Power Listings:

Kakarot: 3,550 (Base)

Bulma: 4

Gohan (_died of old age_): 305

* * *

A/N; Y'all really thought that Gohan died from the Great Ape transformation? Nah, he died of old age, but don't worry, he ain't completely irrelevant as of right now; wait till the Fortune Teller Baba Tournament―y'all gone be in for a surprise!✌


	4. A Mountain of a Man

Kakarot's spiky hair blew wildly in the wind as flew through the skies at blinding speeds, a smug smile on his face as his arms were set at his sides. Lying rather uneasily atop him with her arms and legs wrapped around his neck and waist was a screaming Bulma. It wasn't extremely comfortable of a spot lying on the boy's back, as the staff on his back rested in between her breast and irritated her stomach, but it was the best she could manage.

Bulma just continued screaming, however, it was not that out of fear, rather, one out of excitement.

"_WOOHOO_!" yelled the lavender-haired girl. "_SHIT, THIS IS FUN_!" her ponytail waved behind her wildly and she could barely see anything due to the intense speed, but her screaming was cut off by Kakarot.

"Wait a minute," he said, scanning the ground beneath him as he saw a rock moving along a dirt path in the direction opposite of where they were headed. "What the hell is _that_?" he asked, pointing at the moving rock formation.

Bulma raised an eyebrow as Kakarot began to slow down his flight speed.

"Why does it matter? We aren't going on a quest to go rock watching―" she was cut off as Kakarot began his speedy descent towards the moving figure. _Shit_.

Dust and debris kicked up around the two teens as Kakarot righted himself in a standing position and allowed Bulma to climb off of him. The two began walking towards the rock of interest and upon closer inspection realized that it was a turtle shell.

Said turtle was trudging across the dirt with its flippers, moving at the fastest pace possible for its species, groaning as it did so.

"Excuse me," came a voice that broke the turtle from its concentration. It looked up to see a spiky-haired boy in a martial arts gi gazing at him with curiosity and a lavender-haired girl behind him in a pink blouse with her arms crossed.

"Why, hello," came out the hoarse voice of the turtle, doing its best to make conversation.

"Why is it that a sea turtle is so far away from the sea; going in the exact opposite direction in fact?"

The second part of what Kakarot had said caused the turtle to gasp in surprise. "What?! Do you mean to tell me I've been going in the wrong direction this whole time? Oh…" came the dejected voice of the turtle. Upon seeing the boy's confused look he began to introduce himself―waving a flipper, it said, "My name is Turtle, and my home is out at sea on a remote island with the Turtle Hermit Roshi."

The rush of information came as a shock to the Saiyan. "Wait, you mean _the_ Master Roshi? The strongest human on earth?" Noticing Kakarot's spike in curiosity, Bulma began to insert herself in the conversation as well. "You mean that old man who fought alongside Mutaito in a stand against the Demon King Piccolo all those years ago? _The _Master Roshi?" she inquired.

"Yes," Turtle said, "_the_―wait, how about I show you him instead? If you return me to my island, then he could possibly give you a great reward!" Turtle reasoned.

Kakarot didn't even need to ponder over the potential rewards he could be given before turning to Bulma with a grin, "Do you know what this means, Bulma? I could possibly get to train under Master Roshi," _getting me closer to my goal_! "..._and _it's in the direction of the next Dragon Ball, correct?" Bulma gave a slow nod, as if she already knew what he was getting at, "then, it'd be killing two birds with one stone!" he said with a determined smile.

Bulma sighed, but mulling over her options, she realized this was the best ultimatum, and so decided to comply with the offer.

She shrugged, "Whatever works," she said coolly.

"Well, shit, let's get on with it!" he said.

"Wait a minute," Turtle said, "how are you going to get me there in the first place?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"I'll carry you," he said, before grabbing Turtle by his shell and picking him up firmly. He motioned his head towards his back for Bulma to grab on and she said she'd use a boat capsule to get there instead.

"It'll be far too difficult for me to hold on while you're carrying him _and_ having that sack on your back," she reasoned.

"Suit yourself," he said before he was enveloped in a flame of white _ki_ as he rose into the air and at lightning speed went in the direction of the only island that came into view. "Is that it?" he asked Turtle. Receiving a nod of confirmation he quickened his speed even further with a smirk on his face.

"Shit, he's fast," Bulma said to herself before she pulled out her hovercar capsule which revealed itself in a puff of smoke, driving towards the shore.

* * *

Kakarot touched down onto the sand of the remote island Turtle called his home.

"Well, here we are," he said, setting Turtle on the sand, watching as the sea creature gave him a content smile.

"Thank you a million! I shall make sure Master repays you with the greatest gift possible!" he said as he made his way into the pink painted household on the island. On the front of it were the words "Kame House" in red lettering.

Kakarot decided to take in the beauty of nature and sat on the sand in a traditional meditative pose, closing his eyes and taking in the sounds of the sea.

Several minutes later, he heard the familiar sound of an engine and the splashing and parting of waves. He opened his eyes to see a familiar female driving towards him at high speeds. Once the vehicle reached the sand, she hopped out and in front of Kakarot's meditating form. Capsulating the vehicle, the following explosion rattled Kakarot from his thoughts.

"Could you be any quieter?" he asked mockingly.

Bulma snorted and crossed her arms, refusing to give a response. "Where's the old man? I checked the radar and it says that the ball is here―it's possible he has it," her words were cut off, however, by the opening of a door, revealing an old man in question.

He had a bushy white mustache, like Gohan, but a rather long beard as well. He held a wooden, brown staff in his right hand, wore a Hawaiian, floral shirt and white shorts with sandals. On his face was a pair of red-rimmed sunglasses with dark green lenses which gleamed in the sunlight, along with his shiny, bald head.

"Yo!" he greeted, raising his free hand. His figure immediately caught the attention of Kakarot, who stopped his meditation entirely. He took in the sight of the old man in front of him and seemed to be pondering over the description that Gohan had given him. This was Master Roshi, all right.

"Hello," the two teens said in unison.

He looked to Turtle, saying "So, that young man," as he pointed towards Kakarot, "is the one who rescued you?" Upon receiving a nod from the ecstatic turtle, he nodded his head and stepped forward towards the boy, who in question, stood up straight to face the old man.

"I would like to thank you, young man, for rescuing my turtle from imminent death. I would have loved to repay you in giving you the Flying Nimbus, but from what I've been told you can fly already," he said, "also, what is your name? I would like to properly thank you later."

"My name is Kakarot," _That name rings a bell…_ said the boy, as he put his hands together and bowed respectfully. "And it was my pleasure, Master Roshi, to be of help to Turtle. I've always been told by my grandfather, Gohan, that it is only right to assist those in need." Roshi nodded sagely as a response.

_The boy sure has a deep level of respect_, he thought to himself. He then looked behind Kakarot, taking in the sight of the tail that was waving around and making a mental note. Looking past that, he saw the figure of Bulma and immediately gave out a deep chuckle, appearing in front of the girl in seconds, moving with such speed that left Kakarot speechless.

"Ehehe, and pretty lady, might I ask what _your_ name is?" he asked with a lecherous grin, the girl unaware that behind his shades, Roshi's eyes trailed up and down her body.

Visibly shuddering, she said, "My name's Bulma… nice… to meet you?" she said rather skeptically, before noticing something dangling around the old man's neck. "Wait a minute," she said, grabbing the object in question, "Kakarot, this is it―the three-star ball!" she exclaimed, pointing at the orb with a smile.

At the force of being pulled, Roshi stumbled forward and with a gleam in his eye, reached out and put a hand on Bulma's breast, caressing it for however many milliseconds before getting punched square in the face and getting sent back a couple of feet.

Upon hearing his name called, Kakarot walked over to Bulma, only to have to dodge the incoming Roshi who had just gotten attacked for attempting to cop a feel.

Bulma, red in the face with a tick on her forehead clenched her fist in anger, shouting, "_PERVERT_! _YOU DISGUSTING OLD MAN_!"

Roshi, now in a slight daze, picked himself up, rubbing his now bleeding nose.

"Don't you know how to respect your elders?! And I believe it was _you_ who grabbed _me_ first!" Roshi exclaimed back in fake anger.

"That's only because I want the thing around your neck!" she exclaimed, pointing directly at the Dragon Ball. At this, Roshi visibly calmed down, taking the necklace off to display the Dragon Ball in its full glory to the kids.

Bulma grinned at the progress. "So, can we have it?" Bulma asked, sounding more as though she was begging.

Roshi placed a finger on his chin in thought before Kakarot finally chimed in, "How about we fight for it?" he asked. "My grandfather has told me so many great stories about you and how great of a martial artist you are, and personally, I want to train under you too, so how about it?"

Roshi visibly sweatdropped at the statement, his mouth hanging slightly open. He wasn't an idiot, it was obvious that the child was _leagues_ more powerful than he, even in his buff form, and Kakarot most likely knew that as well.

Clearing his throat, Master Roshi began to speak, "Well, I do enjoy the prospect of training Gohan's grandson, so I'll agree to train you, _but_ you'll have to snatch the Dragon Ball from me instead," Roshi said with a grin. _Experience triumphs far over strength; let's see how the youngster can do_.

Not backing down from a challenge, Kakarot eagerly accepted, jumping across Roshi on the sand to keep some distance.

"Alright, ready when you are, old man," Kakarot said with a smug grin. Roshi raised an eyebrow and nodded, not even bothering to take a stance or pull his hand back from the outstretched position it was in.

Bulma eyed the two with curiosity, wanting to see how fast Kakarot could move on land. _I have _got _to see this._

Kakarot crouched down low, taking a traditional Saiyan battle stance, mixed together with the style that Gohan had taught him; using Gohan's hand placements for offense and the Saiyan's body structure for defense. Roshi watched the boy curiously, _He has very few openings for such an innovative style, we'll see how well he does, though_. Before he even completely finished his thought, however, Kakarot zipped out of his sight appearing right in front of him.

Roshi was caught off guard but quickly gained his composure as he saw Kakarot reaching for the necklace with such speed and precision he had never seen from a human.

Thinking fast, he wrapped the string of the necklace around his staff, raising it up in an attempt to move Kakarot's hand away. Rather than moving back, however, the boy quickly snaked his hand around it and placed his elbow so that it was directly underneath the Turtle Hermit's chin and his hand secured on the ball.

Kakarot scoffed, "I win; I thought you'd be more of a challenge." There was no need for him to place a brutal strike on the old man when he had already achieved his goal. Roshi smiled good sported, watching as the boy retrieved the ball before tossing it over to Bulma.

"Although, I can't wait to train under you," the boy said, bowing with a grin, "_Kamesennin_." He then scooped up Bulma, who pointed in the direction of a remote town, before the two took off, Kakarot moving so quickly that the trees were swaying forcefully in the wind.

Stroking his beard, Roshi thought, _I think I've just found Earth's greatest defender… and he's one of my future students_. _Guess it's time to start my own training until he comes back_… _whenever that will be_.

* * *

Soaring through the skies, Kakarot asked Bulma what their next destination was called, to which the girl replied, "Aru Village; it pretty much looks abandoned from here," she said, as they descended to the rather desolate-looking village.

Once she was freed from his hold, she clicked the pin on the radar, waiting for the beep before pointing to a small house. "It's in there," she said, as the two walked to the front door of the house. Bulma knocked on the door, and just then, Kakarot's face turned serious, as he said, "Step back."

The second the door opened, an ax quickly, at least to Bulma, came down, reaching for Kakarot's head. It never hit its mark, however, as the boy put out a singular finger in defense, causing the metal object to shatter into a dozen pieces, Bulma shielding herself from the shards.

Kakarot scowled, "And _why_ is it that you attempted to attack my friend and I when we mean you no harm?" Kakarot asked with venom as a figure revealed himself. It was an old man, who was shaking in fear. He gasped and immediately lay prostrate with his hands out.

"I apologize Sir Oolong! I meant not to anger you! I just can't let you take my daughter!" he yelled, sobbing as Kakarot and Bulma looked at each other and then to the man in confusion.

"Who's Oolong?" they asked in unison before the old man faced up and a look of shock took over the fear on his face.

He then placed a hand over his heart and sighed, "Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were Oolong, stranger. He is a beast that has been terrorizing our village for… what seems like forever! He is able to take many shapes and forms and has been taking our daughters and granddaughters every time he comes down here! No one knows of his exact location, so we've simply been lying in wait, trying to devise a plan to retrieve our children." It was at that moment that Bulma noticed all of the people that resided in the house, but even though the room was dimly lit, she able to recognize the glow of a familiar object behind an elderly woman.

She excused herself through the crowd of people, rushing until she got to the ball, which, sure enough, had six stars on it.

Holding up the artifact, "Kakarot!" she shouted, "I found it!" Her look of happiness then turned to that of confusion when the object was taken from her hands.

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing, young lady?" asked the elderly woman who had been standing in front of the ball. "This is a family heirloom that has been in our possession for generations, you simply can't just up and _take_ it," she said with a glare.

Bulma eased up, putting her hands out in a calming manner. "I apologize for that, ma'am. It's just, we're collecting those, and to complete the set, I must have it!" she pleaded, but the woman refused to budge, shaking her head. Sighing, Bulma was ready to admit defeat before a lightbulb lit up in her head. "What if we got rid of Oolong _for_ you?" inquired Bulma.

The old woman placed a finger on her chin in thought before nodding, saying "If you can deem yourselves worthy by defeating him and locating our children, I shall be more than glad to give you this orb." Bulma clapped and grinned in glee before all got silent, as the ground began to shake. Murmuring began to surface before Kakarot took it upon himself to move his unfazed body outside.

What he did not expect to see was a large, blue bull, with massive yellow horns and a nose ring standing right in front of him, digging its hooves into the ground in an attempt at intimidation. Kakarot remained still, looking quite unamused.

"_Impudent boy, for what reason do you stand in my way?!_" the beast growled out. While behind him, everyone cowered in fear, one of the villagers managed to shout, "That's him!", Kakarot simply scoffed.

"_This_ is what you are so afraid of? Dumbasses, can't you tell?" he exclaimed, before phasing behind the massive bull and executing a chop to the back of its head, causing it to slump to the ground. Right after, a puff of smoke appeared and soon dissipated to reveal an anthropomorphic pig wearing a Korean War-era Chinese People's Liberation Army uniform. "It's a ruse. He can transform," he said as if it was obvious.

All the villagers look at him in shock before immediately surrounding the two, cheering and congratulating the boy on his simple victory.

Bulma pushed and shoved her way through the crowd until she reached Kakarot.

"Nice, you beat him!" she exclaimed, before receiving a look that said, "as if I couldn't". She sweatdropped before she began to panic, seeing as the boy had his palm facing out, a faint blue glow encircling his hand as an orb of _ki_ formed in front of it.

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed, before Kakarot unleashed the attack upon the pig, disintegrating him in a fraction of a second. All that remained was a burnt imprint in the ground to remind all that witnessed it the sheer power of Kakarot.

"Killing him," he replied plainly. "I already remember his scent and I fixated on it, so…" he said, as he pointed in the direction of a rather large mansion, "there's the palace that he's harboring the girls. Now, the Dragon Ball, if you would," he said, pointing to the woman who had made the promise.

Rather hesitantly, she handed the ball to Bulma, plopping it in her outstretched hand. The amount of silence and tension had built up so much that Bulma quickly placed the ball in her pouch and waved to the crowd, whispering in Kakarot's ear, "_Let's go,_" before throwing a capsule which had a motorbike in it. She hopped on, gripping the handles tightly and gesturing for Kakarot to sit behind, but he said he'd rather run.

"If you can keep up," she said. Kakarot smirked at the challenge and the two zoomed off, leaving a trail of dust and confused villagers in its wake. They then regained their composure and headed off in the direction of Oolong's palace.

* * *

The sky had become a dark orange color, as it was approaching dusk, and Kakarot and Bulma were currently running and driving respectively in a vast, dry, desert area. It was quite unique, considering the fact that the number of bustling life forms such as trees, mushrooms, and various odd rock formations grew in the area.

Bulma scowled, "Shit, it's cold. I wonder how long it'll take us to get to Fire Mountain?" she pondered.

Just then, Kakarot sensed an above average power level approaching but continued running. Whatever or whoever it was chasing them would just have to catch up.

"Stop whining so much," Kakarot said, "at our speed, we'll be out of here in no time."

Bulma grumbled but continued driving, nonetheless.

Several minutes later, Kakarot and Bulma were able to see the geography shift as well as feel the climate. It went from freezing cold to scorching hot in a matter of milliseconds.

Kakarot and Bulma came to a halt as they were immediately able to guess what was the gargantuan edifice known as Fire Mountain. The two stared in awe as the immense heat washed over them and the massive castle encased in flames loomed over them. Even in the near dark, the flames partially lit up the whole sky, the might of the mountain was immeasurable.

"Damn," Bulma said, fanning herself with her hand and tugging at her collar, "it really is extremely hot over here, considering we were just in the desert." She clicked the pin on the radar.

_Blip_.

She began sweating even more than she already had been, but out of nervousness, "It's in there," she said, quivering.

Kakarot raised an eyebrow, "That shouldn't be a problem, all we have to―" he was cut off as a massive figure started charging at him with its arm drawn back. As the massive arm swung down on Kakarot's frame, he easily caught the fist with one hand, tossing the massive figure in the air, immediately trailing the massive man in hot pursuit. Bulma watched the scene in shock, yelling, "Get him Kakarot!" not even noticing that there were two figures hiding behind a tree, watching the whole scene unfold.

Kakarot floated right above the figure, grabbing its massive red cape before gravity did its job, causing the giant to dangle at the seams, thrashing about with no apparent progress being made.

"_I WON'T ALLOW YOU THIEVES TO STEAL MY TREASURE_!" came out the deep, gravelly voice of what sounded like a middle-aged man. Kakarot took in the sight of the man; he wore a gold helmet with two horns protruding from the sides and a blue feather on top. He had a thick, dark brown beard, adding to his already grizzly like appearance. On his torso was a coat of armor that was indigo in color with two yellow stars and a gold ab-protector going down the middle. Around his waist was a massive turquoise cloth wrapped tightly by a white sash. Around his wrists were gold-rimmed, dark violet guards, and to complete his outfit, he wore black martial arts pants tucked into massive brown combat boots. He looked rather idiotic, but Kakarot could sense that even _this_ man was far more powerful than Roshi.

Ignoring the comment about stealing the treasure, Kakarot asked for the man to give him one reason not to drop him and allow him to meet death.

"Because a true martial artist shows no fear in the face of danger, and also―" he said, detaching his cape from his armor to free himself, "because I wouldn't die!"

The giant of a man began free-falling down with such great speed on account of his weight, that Bulma had almost no time before she could dive out of the way of impact.

When the man touched down, he had caused the whole ground around them to shake, causing all but him to lose balance and fall on the ground. He had created a massive crater and his boots were lodged into the ground, but he remained unaffected.

The man looked up and grinned at Kakarot, the latter simply threw aside the cape that was still in his hands, allowing it to gracefully float down, as he smirked and flew back down, encasing himself in a white aura that dissipated as quickly as it was formed.

"Boy, you are rather impressive," he boomed out, reaching for something behind his back, he revealed a one-sided ax with gold, worn out hilt, "but _this_ is the end of the line."

Bulma, now on the ground crawling backward was about to speak up when she was cut off by Kakarot who began chuckling.

"It's been quite a long time since I've had a challenge for a sparring partner, but sadly you won't prove to be any match for me," Kakarot said before phasing behind the man, "Ox-King," came out in the form of a whisper before Kakarot whipped his tail in the back of the man's head, immediately knocking the oaf unconscious and sending him flying and through a tree, causing a shriek to escape from behind it.

Kakarot grinned, "I didn't know trees screamed!" he exclaimed, causing whoever it was that was behind the broken tree to scramble out in a rush.

"H-how did you know we were there?!" exclaimed a high-pitched voice. In response, another, rather deep one answered the latter's question, chuckling as they rose up from their crouched position. "Isn't it obvious, Puar?" he said, fully standing up, "The kid's _clearly_ a skilled martial artist…"

* * *

Combat Power Listings:  
Kakarot (Suppressed++): 100

Kakarot (Less Suppressed+ (Against Ox-K.)): 1,200

Bulma: 4

Oolong: 3.5

Ox-King: 900


End file.
